"Grand" Pretty Much Sums It Up at This Barcelona Hotel

At Barcelona’s five-star Grand Hotel Central, the name says it all. Like many of its neighbors on Via Laietana, the property was built in the 1920s in the elegant rational style. (Not familiar with the look? "Grand" pretty much sums it up.) When it came time to turn the former office building into a hotel, modern touches were built around original elements. The place evokes a stylish second home. The hotel’s location, the last piece of the nomenclature puzzle, is smack between the Gothic district and El Born, making it just as easy to walk to some of the city’s best cultural sites, shops, and restaurants as it is to spot them from the rooftop’s Insta-famous infinity pool.

Food + Drink: City Restaurant serves fresh Mediterranean dishes, including a few local Catalan recipes. City Bar sits in front of the restaurant and overlooks the sidewalk scene — a nice setting for an pre- or post-dinner cocktail. Speaking of nice settings, Skybar does cocktails and tapas with Barcelona as a backdrop.

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Where to Do Nearby

Between El Born and its shops and the Gothic Quarter and its cultural sites, there’s enough to fill a day and then some. The , the lovely and large , and the beaches of Barceloneta are all within walking distance. So are cool shops (like ), tapas bars (like ), and and restaurants (get the pork sandwich at ).